Jison-in explained

is a Buddhist temple in the town of Kudoyama that marks the entrance to the pilgrimage route of Koyasan.

Temple

It is part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Koyasan complex includes:

• Kongobu-ji, built by Kūkai in 816 as the principal stage for esoteric Buddhism on an 800m high mountain basin,
• Jison-in, built as an administrative office to facilitate the construction and management of Kongobu-ji,
• Niukanshofu Jinja, constructed as a guardian shrine to protect the Niukanshofu estate of Kongobu-ji, and
• Niutsuhime Jinja, situated in the Amano basin between Kongobu-ji and Jison-in. Closely connected to Koyasan, it enshrines Koya Myōjin who, legend tells, gave land to Kūkai when he choose the compound of Kongobu-ji, and Niu Myōjin, who guided him, and all of them are connected by the pilgrimage route Koyasan Choishimichi.

See also

• List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)

Sources

• Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range